As World Cup fever begins to sweep the globe, the Canadian Premier League—recognizing that this is by far the most pivotal year in the history of the Beautiful Game in this country—has done a thoughtful job of early-season scheduling.
And Forge FC and Cavalry FC have done their part to maximize that job, as they face each other Saturday at Hamilton Stadium in another nationally televised game (4 p.m. TSN, OneSoccer), with each of them having won their two opening games for the first time in the CPL’s seven-plus seasons.
While there are other improved and promising sides in the eight-team loop, which now includes its first Quebec-based team (FC Supra), and Ottawa Atlético is the reigning champion; Forge and Cavalry are the league’s combined gold standard. Their rivalry is real, bitter and just-add-water-sustainable.
“Knowing the history of the teams together and the trophies both sides have captured in the league, you can just see it’s a standout rivalry,” says Cavalry’s talented midfielder from Kitchener, Harry Paton, who left a multi-year resumé in England and Scotland to spend the final two months of last season at Forge with his younger brother Ben. “It’s different tactics, different styles of play, it’ll be a really good game. It’s early in the season, but it’s a match that will always mean a lot.
“I think this is a really important season. Soccer is a lot bigger now than it was when I was growing up, and having Canada as one of the hosts of the World Cup is really going to benefit the league; it’s going to have Canadian kids too growing up having a place to play at a good level and potentially reaching higher levels. I was fortunate to be a small part of the National Team making my debut a couple of years ago, and the talent Canada now has on the team is amazing. I believe we can do well, and for the league… it’s fantastic.”
Forge, which controlled Ottawa 2-0 in the CPL opener at home, then blanked improved Vancouver FC 1-0 on the west coast last Sunday, has its first two home matches scheduled on national over-the-air TV which attracts a broader audience, and those two matches brought in the two other preseason favourites, the Atléti and Cavs. Smart marketing.
But there’s really nothing quite like—in soccer, or many other pro leagues—the ferocity and regularity of Forge vs. Cavalry. Across all competitions, this will be the 38th time they’ve gone head-to-head. They could fill out each other’s grocery list, and if the old adage that familiarity breeds contempt is indeed based in fact… well, there you go.
“When I was in Scotland there was a small number of teams as well, 12 of them,” Paton says. “So you play each other quite a lot. Here in Canada there are even fewer and you get to know the teams quite well during the season, you play them a lot and get to know the players. It’s tough to break the teams down… you have to keep making changes.
“And you can really get some fiery moments, playing each other so much. There’s less space this year to make the playoffs so it’ll be an even tougher fight this season.”
HAMMERS AND NAILS
Paton vs. Paton on undefeated teams: lots of motivation but no smack talk
Earlier this week, Ben Paton (25) addressed what will be the first time in their lives that he and his older brother Harry (27) will play against each other in an official game.
They’ve played with each other in age-class soccer in Kitchener and in the elite professional ranks in Scotland and Canada, but have never been opponents, other than in training and in the family backyard.
The siblings both describe the anticipation of Saturday’s kickoff with the same adjective each of them used last fall to describe what it was like to play together in the pros, overseas and over here.
“It definitely will feel surreal,” Harry said Wednesday morning from Calgary. “Growing up we’ve always really pushed each other in terms of motivating each other. So I think it will be a little bit of the same. I don’t think we’ll be doing much smack talk; we’ll be wanting the best for each other. Obviously, we both want to win the game but we both want each other to have a really good performance.
“I think we’re going to try and put in some strong slide tackles for sure against each other. I know he’ll be trying to get the better of me. He’s been a really good stand-up player for Forge this year so he’s one to watch for sure. And we’ll have a lot of family and friends who will be able to get to the game.
“We’ve been talking about it since the day I signed with Cavalry, marking the day on the calendar. I’m looking forward to it.”
The brothers’ first head-to-head is accompanied by outstanding starts to the season by each of them. Their respective coaches have utilized their versatility and ability to work the field east-west or north-south and each has responded well. In Week One, the Paton family comprised nearly 10 per cent of the CPL’s league-wide Top XI, which is essentially the all-star team from that weekend. Harry was chosen at midfield, Ben was in the backline.
“That was cool,” Harry says. “In the first week his game was on the Saturday and he scored, and I was, ‘Oh gosh, now I’ve got to score: I don’t want to give him the bragging rights for the week.’ I was fortunate to get a goal in my debut. Then the second week my game was first and I had a good ‘team goal’ and I know that really motivated him to get a goal for his team and keep that going. He didn’t get the goal but he got a really good assist which got the win for Forge. So the goal contributions have been strong so far and we just want to keep that rolling.”
Saturday’s game features 12 different players who have already made CPL Team of the Week
Forge right fullback Rezart Rama, who was tough as nails in Forge’s 1-0 away win Sunday in Langley, B.C., and his teammate goalkeeper Dimitry Bertaud, who has shutouts in his first two games in the league, were both named to the Gatorade Team of the Week. The weekly all-11 also includes three Cavalry FC players in midfielders Harry Paton and Sergio Camargo, and two-time CPL Defender of the Year Daan Klomp, the centre-back who returned to the Cavs this year after a season in Belgium’s second tier.
The season’s first team of the week included a combined seven players from Calgary and Hamilton. The Paton brothers—Harry of the Cavs, Ben of the Hammers—both made the all-league squad, as did Forge defender Antoine Batisse, midfielder/forward Tristan Borges and striker Brian Wright, as well as Cavalry forwards Jay Herdman and Tobias Warschewski.